Mama shu cnn

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Shamayim Harris, known in Detroit as Mama Shu, knows all too well the pain of loss. In her 2-year-old son Jakobi Ra was killed in a hit and run accident, and in her other son Chinyelu was murdered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company.

Mama shu cnn

Shamayim Harris, or "Mama Shu" , was nominated for the CNN Heroes award, which annually recognizes "people who are making extraordinary contributions to help improve the lives of others in their communities," according to a release from CNN. Harris is elated and feels honored to be nominated, she said Monday. She knew she would be a CNN Hero but didn't expect to make it to the top It's 10 of us. To be chosen worldwide, is a really big deal," Harris said. Mama Shu is most known for founding Avalon Village , which transformed a Highland Park street into a self-sustaining eco-village. Harris plans to use the money awarded from CNN for unfinished projects like the Avalon Village Healing House that is designed to help youth and elders in the community. She lost her son Jakobi when he was 2 to hit and run driver. Since then, her activism has been recognized not just in Michigan but nationally. She was awarded for her advocacy in social justice by a group affiliated with Rev. EST Dec. Supporters can vote daily by logging in via email or Facebook. In , another Metro Detroit native, Najah Bazzy, was nominated for an award. Bazzy created a nonprofit, Zaman International, to help the region's poorest women and children.

I was in the car from the airport.

She's reimagined her neighborhood, which was overwhelmed with blight, and turned it into something beautiful. Avalon Street, now affectionately known as Avalon Village, is Mama Shu's gift to the city and its people. And then we go down to the other cities going north of Woodward. They are beautiful down there. The grass is green, they have flowers, [and] there is no blight in those places. I'm figuring, why do we have to live like that, and we don't," she said. Mama Shu has rehabbed homes on the block to provide resources for her neighbors and programs for the youth.

More projects. More transformation. More healing. Motivated by grief after the death of her toddler son in , Harris, known as Mama Shu, has spent years creating her Avalon Village — parcels of land that have been and are being developed into activity center, healing space, cafe, mini-library and other projects. The village, located on Avalon Street west of Woodward Avenue and south of the Davison Freeway, keeps growing and evolving. Voting runs through the end of Tuesday. For Harris, a minister of 22 years, her quest to create Avalon Village has often been one of necessity. The library had been closed for years, and so I was like There's now a basketball court, new concrete on portions of Avalon Street and a STEAM lab inside a solar shipping container to help kids learn about science and engineering.

Mama shu cnn

She said receiving this recognition makes her feel "totally elated," and honored for an opportunity to show more people "how you can actually transform blight to beauty. After the tragic hit-and-run death of her 2-year-old son Jakobi in , Mama Shu took action to transform her struggling neighborhood. Purchasing 45 surrounding lots of land, she created The Avalon Village — a sustainable eco-village that provides its residents with resources, youth programming, gardens, small business support, activities and more. In , tragedy struck again. Mama Shu's year-old son , Chinyelu Humphrey, was shot and killed in front of their home. Despite her providing an eyewitness account, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder.

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Now, on the once run-down Avalon Street, children and community members can study in a safe space at The Homework House, shoot hoops on a renovated basketball court and tend to plants in the garden space. I'm gonna tell you this one quick thing right quick. I'm not sure how long exactly I did this in the dark, in the backseat of the car. That's how I feel. You should I would always see this house on the block. They have one for their birth dates, and they have one when they become an ancestor. It comes in the m-o-u-r-n-i-n-g. Photo credit: Courtesy of Shamayim Harris When tragedy strikes, most people isolate and deal with their wounds in private. To be chosen worldwide, is a really big deal," Harris said. That ain't nothing but a roof. And then we go down to the other cities going north of Woodward. All the family members. If she wins, Mama Shu plans to use the prize money to build on Avalon Village, finishing existing projects like the "Healing House," which will soon bring more resources to her community. Just bring it out of the ashes and make it more beautiful.

Shamayim Harris, known in Detroit as Mama Shu, knows all too well the pain of loss. In her 2-year-old son Jakobi Ra was killed in a hit and run accident, and in her other son Chinyelu was murdered. Learn more about your ad choices.

I was inside of the house and I was on Zoom, and I'll never forget it. They were so close. Facebook Twitter Email. We've set up a new phone line for you to call. And when Jacobi says things is usually over my right shoulder. The blight of the neighborhood and the old ruins bring up old feelings, old energies, old things that no longer exist. I'm like, wow, 23? Republish This Story. Mama Shu is being considered for CNN's Hero of the Year, which is an award given to people who are making a difference in their community. Our newsroom delivers the info you need to navigate Detroit — and thrive. You know, some of the land was bucks for the lots and everything. I'm not sure how long exactly I did this in the dark, in the backseat of the car. And then we go down to the other cities going north of Woodward. The people who killed Chinyelu, from what I understand, one of them is deceased and the other one is in jail right now. And so I'm building a village.